Method of and apparatus for applying sealing strips



'May 31, 1932. J EDEL 1,861,144-

METHQD OF AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING SEALING STRIPS Filed July 31, 1930 Fig. 4

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Patented May 31, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOH AINNES SCHMIEDEL, OF DRESDEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM UNI- VERSELLE CIGARETTENMASCHINEN-FABRIK, J.

GERMANY c. muLLEn & 00., or nnasnmr,

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING SEALING STRIPS Application filed. July 31, 1930, Serial No.

It has already been proposed to apply sealing bands or strips to tins and like articles by moving the tins towards a strip coated with an adhesive and forcing it between guide walls, by which means the strip is applied to all sides of the tin save one, which is left free. The residual free ends of the strip were then attached to the free side of the tin by means of wipers, or by moving the tin in the direction of the final side to be coated.

In the known method of operating, the sealing strips were cut up in advance and stacked in a pile from which they were conveyed singly to the place where they were attached tothe tin. Apart from the fact that this procedure entailed the use of cumbrous devices for conveying the strips to the working place, further devices were required to 20 ensure the removal of the strips from the conveyor device and hold them in the desired position.

According to the present invention however a continuous strip is drawn from a reel,

front end is led directly to the point where the attachment to the tin or the like is effected, the strip being coated with adhesive on the way. The strip is not severed until it has been attached to the tin, except on the side or portion left free, by passage through the guides, and therefore the length of the strip and its position during attachment to the desired sides or portion of the tin are automaticallyregulated. In the case of a square tin the strip will be attached to three sides only as will be understood.

In this operation, that end of the strip which is to be attached to the tin is drawn into a guide channel of known type, and, after attaining the correct position, is held by controlled fingers to prevent it from lifting out of the bottom of the channel. Furthermore, after the strip has been cutoff, that ing stroke, the gripper tongs or the like by means of gripper tongs or the like, and its end which has already been unwound from 472,025, and in Germany August 8, 1929.

can, with certainty, grip the end, of the strip presented to them.

In this method of operating, the speed at which the apparatus is run is increased, inter alia by the circumstance that the stroke of the grippers conveying the strip into the working position is considerably shorter than the length of the strip.

To enable the invention to be fully .understood it will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings inwhich Figs. 1 and 2 are vertical longitudinal sections of an apparatus constructed according to the invention showing the parts in two different positions.

As shown the sealing strip is unwound from the reel 1, which is braked in known manner by means of the weighted hand brake 2 or other device. The unwinding is effected, by means of the controlled gripper tongs 3, adapted to reciprocate horizontally. The gripper advances, in open position, as far as the mouthpiece, for which purpose the latter is slotted for the insertion of the gripper. During its passage the strip is coated with adhesive by means of the gumming roller 5', or moistened, at the same spot, if a previously gummed strip is used. The end introduced into the mouthpiece 4 is held fast by a spring presser 6, which presses the strip against the table 7 and prevents the reel from drawing back the inserted end of the strip.

The gripper 3 then moves to the right hand in Figs. 1 and 2, until it reaches the position shown in Fig. 2, whereupon it opens so that the end of the strip is freely exposed, tholugh still remaining in connection with the ree The advanced end of the strip is drawn by the gripper into a guide channel 8, which ensures the strip being in the proper position. At the same time, fingers 9 extend into the channel and are so controlled by a control rod 10 that they descend. at the right moment, but without pressing on the strip, their sole purpose being to prevent the strip in the channel from rising out of the bottom of the latter.

The tins 11 are fed forward in the horizontal passage 12, in the direction indicated 100 by the arrows, the front tin being advanced as far as a stop 13 and held, for the time being, on the same level as the passage 12 by the succeeding tins. The vertically guided ram :14 then descends and pushes the tin down until it comes in contact with the gummed strip, which rests facing the upper ram 14, on a lower ram 15, which is pressed into top position by a spring 16 and is secured in that position by a controlled stop 17, in con unction with a collar 18 on the ram stem 19.

During the further descent of the ram14,

the tin is held firmly between the two rams 14 and 15, and is conducted between the guides 20 and 21. These guides cause the gummed strip to apply itself to three sides of the tin, leaving unattached only the upper side which is in contact with the ram 14. To facilitate guiding the strip, the latter is passed over the guide rollers 22 and 23.

When the tin has attained the position shown in Fig. 1, the controlled stop 17 pre vents the lower ram 15 from rising, and a horizontal pusher 24 is now able to push the corresponding tin 11 into the horizontal passage 25. Immediately prior to this movement, however, the strip is cut off from the continuous strip 5 by the knives 26, 27.

In the passage 25, the long closing end of the strip applies itself, in known manner, to

and reciprocating means moving at right angles to the first named reciprocating means for forcing the container through a second guide passage to cause the free ends of the severed strip to be applied to the container.

3. A method of applying sealing strips to containers comprising the steps of drawing a continuous strip into the path of a container, rendering said strip adhesive during its passage, pressing the container against the strip, moving said strip and container together so as to cause said strip to be applied around three faces of said container, then severing said strip from the reel and finally moving the container throu h suitable guides and thereby causing the ree ends of the strip to be applied to the container.

4. Apparatus for applying sealing strips to containers comprising gripping means for seizing the free end of a continuous strip and placing the latter into a predetermined position over a channel, means for feeding said container to said strip and mounting said strip around three sides thereof, means for holding said strip in position, means for severing said stri and means for applying the free ends of said strip to said container.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHANNES SCHMIEDEL.

the previously uncovered side of the tin, after the short closing end of the strip has been applied to that side of the tin by means of a controlled, wiper 28.

1. In apparatus for applying sealing strips to containers, reciprocating gripping means for seizing the free end of a continuous strip,

means for rendering the strip adhesive, a channel into which the strip is drawn by the grippers to a predetermined position, controlled meansextending into said channel to hold the strip in a predetermined position, means for pressing a container against the strip in its predetermined position, so that the strip is applied partially round the container, means for severing the strip from the reel after it has been applied partially round the container, a horizontal passage and means for forcing the container with the severed strip adhering thereto into said passage to cause the free ends of the severed strip to adhere to the container.

2. In apparatus for applying sealing strips to containers, a reciprocating gripping means for seizing the free end of a continuous strip, means for rendering the strip adhesive, a channel into which the strip is drawn by said gripping means to a predetermined position, controlled means to hold the strip in a predetermined position, reciprocating means for pushing a container into contact with the strip and forcing it through a guide passage causing the strip to be applied partially round the container, means for severingsaid strip, 

